fast rise to prominence, that he was always in the right place at the right time. it seems to me that you have to give custer credit for more than this. he was in the right place at the right time, but he knew how to make the most of those opportunities which many people would not. i think, for example, of what happened to another man who was appointed brigadier general at the same time that custer was, elon farnsworth. both of them became generals right before the battle of gettysburg. both were under the command of general judson kilpatrick, whose nickname was "kill cavalry" because he was so reckless with the men under his command. custer managed to somehow get his orders from kilpatrick countermanded by another general, and as a result, he played a significant part in the battle of gettysburg. when pickett was charging against the union front, stuart was coming around the rear with the idea that they would cut the union forces in half. custer actually prevented stuart from carrying out his part of that strategy, because he got himself out from under kilpatrick'